Ink reservoir for marking machines



Sept. 21, 1948. D, F. PUTNAM ETAL INK RESERVOIR FOR MARKING MACHINESFiled Sept. 20. 1945 mvmrons Ddvld'EPuTnam BY Charles H.C hee; mm

Hun M ATTORNEYS.

which the type of Patented Sept. 21, 1948 David F. Putnam,

man, Marlboro, N. H., assignors to Keene, and Charles H. Cheese- MarkemMachine Company, Keene, N. 11., a corporation of i New HampshireApplication September 20, 1945, Serial No. 617,460 3 Claims. v(Cl.101-364) This invention relates to an inking'mechanism for markingmachines and particularly to inking mechanisms which include an ink rollfrom the printing element is inked and means to supply said roll withink, and it has for one of its objects to provide a novel inkingmechanism which is relatively simple in construction and very effectivein operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel inking mechanismwhich includes in its structure a combined ink reservoir and doctorelement by which ink is supplied to the ink roll and surplus ink issimultaneously removed from the roll so as to leave on the roll thedesired thin film of ink.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel inking mechanismin which the supply of ink in the reservoir is at all times visible tothe operator. I v r A further object is to provide a novel inkingmechanism which is constructed so that the cleaning of ink from thereservoir at the end of the days run is much facilitated.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription of one embodiment thereof and the novel features of theinvention will be pointed out in the appended claims. I v

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating an inkingmechanismembodying our invention. r Fig. 2 is asectionon the line 22Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the combined ink reservoir anddoctorelement.

In as much as the present invention relates to the inking mechanismfore/marking or printing machine, we have not thought it necessary to-illustrate herein a complete marking machine but have indicated at I aportion of the frame of a marking machine which may be equipped with aprinting roll 2 carrying on its periphery the type element to be inked,said printing roll being illustrated in dotted lines.

Our improved inking device presents a housing element 3 adapted to bedetachably mounted on the frame, and carrying the ink roll 4 from whichthe type characters on the printing roll 2 are inked. The housing 3 isopen at one side as indicated at 5 so that the printing roll 4 isexposed to permit it to contact with the type characters. The housing 3may be supported on the frame I in any approved way. As herein shownsaid housing is provided with an upstanding ear, or

wall I4 and the end wall having a'tangential relation .to said roll. inkroll 4 is longer in the direction of its axis lug, 6 having an aperture1 to receive a stud l8 projecting from the frame I. This provides aneasy means for mounting the inking device on the frame i or removing ittherefrom.

The ink roll 4 may be an idler which is rotated by its contact with thetype wheel 2, or said ink roll 4 may be positively driven to rotate atthe same surface speed as that of the type wheel 2.

As herein shown the ink roll 4 is carried on a shaft 8 which isjournaled in the end walls 9 of the housing 3, one end of said shaftbeing coupled to a driving shaft H] which has a suitable drivingconnection (not shown) with the means for rotating the printing roll 2.The coupling between the shaft 8 and the driving shaft 10 willpreferably be a detachable coupling as indicated at II which will permitthe housing member 3 to be readily removed from its supporting stud l8.

The present invention relates particularly to the means for supplyingthe ink roll 4 with ink and for gaging the thickness of the film of inkwhich the roll carries as it contacts with the printing element of thetype wheel 2. The invention is particularly designed for use in markingmachines in which the type wheel 2 rotates in the direction of the arrowshown in Fig. 1.

For accomplishing the purpose of our invention, we have provided acombined ink reservoir and doctor member l-2 which is formed in itsupper side with a chamber or reservoir I 3 to receive ink and is alsoequipped with a knife edge doctor element which cuts or skives surplusink from theroll thereby leaving on the roll a film of ink of thedesired thickness. I

The member I2 is located within the housing 3 and is formed to presentthe ink-containing chamber l3 having a vertical back side wall [4, twovertical end walls l5 and a vertical front side wall Hi. The front sidewall l6 which is adjacent the ink roll 4, is lower than the back side[5, and said front side wall is shaped to present an upwardly directedknife edge I! which extends longitudinally of the roll 4, theverticalplane of said wall [6 The than the combined ink reservoir anddoctor member l2 as clearly seen in Fig. 3 and the upper portion 28 ofthe front face of the end walls 15 is concavely curved to fit the convexcurvature of the periphery of the ink roll 12 as clearly seen in Fig. 1.

The relative position of the ink roll and. the combined ink reservoirand doctor member is preferably such that the knife edge I! of the frontwall It has its tangential engagement with the periphery of the ink rollat a point approximately midway between the top and bottom of said roll.

When the ink reservoir t3 the latter will have contact with the roll 4directly above the knife edge I'L, Asthe ink roll 4 rotates in itsclockwise direction, Fig. 1, it will pick up ink from the reservoir andthe knife edge I! will serve as a doctor element to cut or skive oiTfrom the ink roll any surplus ink thereby leaving on the ink roll an inkfilm of the proper thickness to ink correctly the type element or theprinting roll 2. The i surplus ink whichis thus scraped or cut off fromthe roll t by the knife edge I! is directed back into the ink chamberIS. The relative position of the-ink rroll i and the combined inkreservoir and doctor element I2 is such that the ink roll is lo'catedentirely outside of the ink-container l3.

The member I2 is preferably adjustably mountedso that the knife edge-i!may be mov'ed' toward or from the roll l in order to obtain an ink himon the roll 4 of the correct thickness.

is filled with ink,

As herein illustrated, the member i2 is pivotally mounted on asupporting shaft, or rod, t9 and means are provided by which the saidmerhber can be turned about its supporting rod to provide the necessaryadjustment. While any suitable means for thus adjusting themember [2 maybe employed, we have herein shown adjusting screws 20 and 2!. There aretwo screws 21 which screw thread through the wall of the housing 3 andabut at their end againstthe member l-2. located between the screws 24,extends loosely through the wall of the housing 3 and the inner endthereof has screw threaded engagementwith the member E2, the head of thescrew 2% bearing against the housing.

By a proper adjustment of these adjusting screws 20 and 2i the knifeedge H may be -adjusted into accurate parallelism with the peripheralsurface of the ink roll 4 and also be adjusted so as to provide a filmof ink on the roll 40f the correct thickness.

The housing 3 is shown as having an open top and as the ink is containedin a chamberthat is formed in the top of the member l2,- the supply ofink in the reservoir chamber I3 is, at all times, visible to theoperator, which is an advantageous feature.

Another advantage of ourconstruction is that the device will operatewith a maller quantity of ink than those'types of inking devices inwhich the ink roll'dips into a body of inkcontained in the housing.

We claim:

1. An inking mechanism for marking machines comprising an ink roll, ahousing member having an open side, a combined ink-reservoirand'doctormember situated within the housingand provided in its upper s'ide'withan open topped inkcontaining. chamber, one side wall of whichis lowerthan the other side wa1ls,said lower side wall presenting at its top a'knife 'edge,gmeans The other adjusting screw 28, whichis supporting theink roll within the housing but entirely outside of said ink-containingreservoir and in a position to project slightly through the open side ofthe housing and with the plane of the knife edge top of said lower wallhaving a tangential relation to the cylindrical pe- -riphera1 r surfaceof the irollp means to rotate the roll in a direction to cause thesurface thereof above the Wall to move downwardly towards said knifeedge, the latter constituting a doctorelement which gages the thicknessof the ink film adhering to the wall, and meanspivotfal-ly'supportingthe combined ink-reservoir and through said openside, ac'o-mbined' reservoir and "doctor member situated ehtirely'wi'thin the housing; said combined ink -re'servoir-- and doctor'me'mber'having' in its upper "side an open-topped ink-containingchamber provi'de'd with "vertical sidewalls-and end walls, one or whichside walls is 1 lower than the "other and presents at its top anupwardly'dir'ected knife edge, means supporting the combined inkreservoir'anddoctor member on the opposite-side of the-ink r'oll'fromthat which is exposed through-the c'pensideof the housing-and with "thelower side wall facing the i'nk'rolrwith the-vertically disposed knifeedge having a tangential relation to the peripheral surface of said inkroll, said ink roll being longer than the combined ink reservoir anddoctor-member and the upper portion of the en'dwalls of saidc'ombinedink reservoir and doctor member-engaging the periphery of the ink rolland havinga concavely curved shape tofit the convex curvature of theink'ro1l-,*andmeans to rotate the m r-on in a direction to causethesurface thereof above said knife edge tomovedowhwardly towardthe knifeedge, the latter constituting-adoctor element which gauges the thicknessof the ink film adhering to the roll.

3; 'An inking mechanism for marking machines as in claim 2 having meanscarried by the housing to adjust the knife edge top --sr said lower wallof the ink chamber towardand from thesurface of the roll thereby-to vary-'the'thickries's of the ink film adhering to the rol DAV-I'Din-roirnnm, eHARnns CHEESEMAN.

REFERENCES-CITED rile following references arev (if-record: in thelfilesofiithis pa-tent:

507,486 Corbittr Q t.=a4, i893 1 992 51 i r re ssi .i 1,995,701.anuttner. el nin-Mar. 26, .1935

